Eugene Ionesco

Playwrights need to write about important topics. Many playwrights have deep philosophical beliefs and a need to explore difficult issues that common folk ignore or fail to notice. We often refer to this as artistic "vision."

Eugene Ionesco, one of the finest absurdist playwrights along with Samuel Beckett, wrote his masterpiece Rhinoceros in 1960.

At its heart, Rhinoceros is a play criticizing the fascist regime during WWII and how susceptible people are in "going along with" and conforming to the flow of public opinion, even if that opinion is dangerous or inhuman.

'Ionesco himself says, “I have been very much struck by what one might call the current of opinion, by its rapid evolution, its power of contagion, which is that of a real epidemic. People allow themselves suddenly to be invaded by a new religion, a doctrine, a fanaticism…. At such moments we witness a veritable mental mutation. I don’t know if you have noticed it, but when people no longer share your opinions, when you can no longer make yourself understood by them, one has the impression of being confronted with monsters—rhinos, for example. They have that mixture of candour and ferocity. They would kill you with the best of consciences.”

Ionesco's primary purpose in writing Rhinoceros was not simply to criticize the horrors of WWII and the crimes of the Nazis, but to explore the mentality of those who so easily succumbed to fascism. What was it that allowed them to rationalize away their free thought—to subvert their own free will? What traits in the individual allow him to be snowballed by general opinion? Why is it necessary to believe the same thing that everyone else believes? In the play, characters repeat ideas and theories they have heard others repeat. At first, everyone is horrified by the violent beasts, but once other people, especially authority figures, turn in the play, those remaining find it easier and easier to justify the metamorphosis. By the play’s end, even the violence and atrocity of the rhinos is being praised for its simplicity and beauty.' If this sort of thing can happen to a culture, what hope does humanity have in keeping its center? Ionesco started with a question--one that he explores through the dialogue of the play.

Rhinoceros is an absurdist play. It is existential and surreal more than fatalistic. Like Beckett, Ionesco relies heavily on symbolism. The rhinoceros' in the play are a symbol, and the way the characters relate to them, become them, and conform to their fashion is the underlying metaphor.

As you watch the film (starring Gene Wilder, Karen Black, and Zero Mostel) notice key elements of absurdist play form:

1. Characters are often threatened by an unknown outside force.
2. The world or diegesis of the play/film is unpredictable or lacks meaning which the characters must contend with.
3. There is often an element of horror or tragedy; characters are often in hopeless situations or trapped.
4. Dialogue is often playful, full of nonsense, repetition, or engages in silly wordplay or banter.
5. Plays are often funny, although theme is usually serious and symbolic. Absurdist theatre is often called "tragicomedy", having elements of broad humor and tragedy.
6. There is often a good deal of farce (mistaken identity, physical comedy, slapstick, sudden entrances and interruptions, etc.)
7. Theatre of the absurd often presents characters failing at something without suggesting a solution to the problem. Characters are often "losers" who cannot dig themselves out of the problems they find themselves in.
8. Characters are often unable to communicate with others (particularly about their feelings, desires, or needs).
9. Plot is often cyclical or repetitive.
10. Plots have a dreamlike or surreal quality to them, akin to nightmare. Plot events are often taken at face value; characters are unwilling or uninterested in examining "why?" something happens and instead react to "what" happens. Therefore plot is often lacking the cause. The effect is often stressed as being more important.

Homework: please begin reading Christopher Durang. He is an absurdist, but his work relies more heavily on parody, satire, and hilarity. In your journal, make a list of ideas or beliefs you have about the contemporary world and/or life.